I am a 2nd engineer from India, and a landed immigrant in Canada. I hold 2nd class marine engineers licence unlimited, (Motor) from India, expecting to pass class 2 transport Canada exam soon ..I have over 10 years experience in various kind of vessels like crude tankers, chemical tankers and passenger ships, also experienced in offshore vessels like PSV and DSVs of DP 2 class..presently sailing as 2nd engineer on DP2 DSV Vessel in middle east.

Can anyone here help he what are the job opportunities available for marine engineers in Canada.,(on shore and offshore)
i would like to convert my licence to power engineers licence (any province)..anyone here has done this before or have an idea?
can i work in any other field with my previous experience in shipping , like diesel power plant , marine workshop , etc ..plz share your knowledge. Thank you.
This is an awesome website !! ..abundant of information .. thank you for making it available for public.. keep up the good work ..

Hi Ajay.
Welcome. A few years back I started the process of getting a stationary or power engineers certificate. They would at that time grant you a class lower than the one you held if you had steam experience that was documented. In my case they wouldn't grant me a 3rd class stationary ticket as I had no real steam time (I have a 2nd class motor marine cert.) However they did allow me to write the exams. There are four of them, 3 multiple guess and one essay type exam. The subject material is roughly the same as the 3rds marine certificate but understandably it's 90% steam systems, the diesel engine part is almost nonexistent. As far as I know the exams are standardized across Canada. I can't say enough good things about their system for writing exams. I did mine in B.C. and the local offices were an assistance not a hindrance to getting a candidate through it. Had the marine side of things had their act together like the power engineering people more people would have gotten chiefs tickets, (in my opinion). Contact your local provincial safety authority. They will have all the relevant forms on line (or should have). The books to study from can be had from company called PanGlobal Training Systems in Calgary. At the time I did it the 3rds exams, books were about 750$ and another 200$ or so for the ASME boiler and pressure vessel code book extract. They do recommend the Reeds books also. The exams were about 120$ each time. Please research the costs for yourself as I'm sure they will differ in your area. It seems a bit expensive but well worth it in my opinion. The great thing about these books is that there are no surprises, what is in the study material is what is on the exam, no surprise questions about 1920's steam technology. You will probably have some steam experience which will make things easier. A lot of things could go wrong in a steam plant shore but it won't try to sink or throw you from one side the plant to the other. There are many different power eng'r jobs out there from large green houses to the oil sands. The best of luck.

The primary difference is that Marine certification is issued Federally and is good world-wide. Power Engineer is issued by Provinces, much like plumbers, and are good in the Province of issue. Other Provinces (Alberta) gave me credit for theirs, which included my Alberta Millwright and HD Mechanic certification to go with 1st Class Motor and 4th Class Steam. NS gave me 4th Class and a challenge at 3rd Class Power Engineer. Shop round, ONT might give you a deal, as will QC if you speak their version of French.

Thank you very much for the information provided.it is really helpful ! I have been searching a lot through internet and contacting local agencies with no positive response.. finaly here...!! may I ask you few more questions

1) I have few experience on working on an Aframax tanker and worked on steam systems , boilers upto 16 bar and steam turbines. ( COPT)... flue gas systems . etc.. and have basic knowledge to pass class 2 marine 2nd engineers exam( motor) , marine engineering knowledge ( general) which include boiler and steam systems. does my knowledge and experience good enough to pass class 3 of power engineer ? or do i need an in depth study of steam systems? if so do i need to have a coaching ? I mean to ask are the subjects difficult to grasp just by reading the books by myself?

2) Is there any thing else I can do with class 2 marine engineers licence and 10 year experience as engineer on merchant ships other than converting to power engineer, in Canada?

I am willing to work anywhere any job in Canada any job that value my experience and credentials.
Thank you.

Last edited by Ajay on Sat Mar 22, 2014 8:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

Thank you Jolly jack for the information ! I will check it out with provincial bodies..
Also if you have any idea abt the options , what i can do with class 2 marine engineers licence in Canada , plz share.. Thanks .

I believe with your relevant steam experience and once you have your 2nd class marine certificate you will have no trouble with the 3rd class power exams. The math, thermodynamics and applied mechanics are basically at the same level as the 3rds marine exams. I would recommend the study material for the stationary exams as it is tailored to what is asked in the questions, there are some things that are particular to a stationary steam plant. The subjects are not difficult to grasp. I had little to no steam system experience, I got the books and did it on self study. There are tech. schools around that have distance education courses and provide a tutor to contact, B.C.I.T. is one. S.A.I.T. is another which JK mentioned.
As to your 2nd question, it would be better answered by someone else. I haven't looked for a job for a while.

The process to obtain Canadian certification is called "Direct Entry", I assume you have started that? By all means, go for Power Engineer while you wait for the word from On High on the status of your application for a Marine CoC. Nothing to stop you taking a post as 2/E on a non-Canadian flag ship either. I know of quite a few Permanent Residents with STCW certification who have found that it's just not worth the very expensive hassle of complying with Canadian requirements for Canadian certification, their STCW 1st or 2nd Class Certificates are just as valid while living in Canada as living anywhere else. They just don't sail on Canadian flag ships. (Although it must be pointed out that most Canadian owned or managed ships are not flagged in Canada.)

Thank you , and Yes , I have already started the process couple of moths back. waiting for the assessment result from Ottawa office..what I understood is that , I need to have Transport Canada COC in order to apply for power engineer COC...so what I Think is , I just cannot Apply while i am waiting...
are you sure i can apply for power engineer exam or COC without having Transport Canada COC ..?? Please let me Know..!! and You are right , it may not worth the hassle of complying with the Canadian requirement for Canadian Certification.. and I Probably earn more working outside Canada..and without Tax.. but my intention is to get power engineer job or any other shore based job so that i can stay with my family...!!
so if you know if there any way out to get the power engineer Certification without obtaining Transport Canada COC...( well , i do not want to attend college and start from 1 ) kindly let me know .. it would be a huge help !! Thank You

You don't need Marine certification for power Engineer. TC is Federal, power engineer is Provincial, and the twain shall never meet. The Constitution Act of 1982, formerly the British North America Act of 1867 (the one which invented Canada) specifically differentiate between Federal and Provincial powers. Feds and Provinces jealously guard the provisions of sections 91 and 92, all the way to the Supreme Court. (R vs Mersey Seafoods, in which the Supreme Court ruled that OSH issues relevant to fishing vessels are a Provincial responsibility.)